Fisherman Survives 95 Days Lost at Sea on Turtles, Birds, and Roaches
A Peruvian fisherman who spent 95 days stranded in the Pacific Ocean has been rescued and is set to be reunited with his family. Maximo Napa, who had embarked on a fishing trip from Marcona, a coastal town in southern Peru, on December 7, survived by consuming roaches, birds, and sea turtles after a storm left him stranded at sea. Details below 👇
Initially prepared for a two-week fishing trip, Napa’s boat was thrown off course due to stormy weather, and after ten days, he found himself adrift in the vast ocean.
Despite extensive search efforts from his family and Peru’s maritime patrol, Napa was not located until Wednesday, when an Ecuadorian fishing patrol discovered him approximately 680 miles (1,094 km) off the coast, severely dehydrated and in critical condition.
"I did not want to die," Napa said after being reunited with his brother in Paita, near the Ecuadorian border.
'I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate was turtles.' He explained that he kept his strength by thinking of his family, particularly his two-month-old granddaughter, even as he resorted to drinking rainwater collected on his boat and spent the last 15 days without food.
'I thought about my mother every day,' Napa continued. 'I'm thankful to God for giving me a second chance.'
Napa’s mother, Elena Castro, expressed her emotional relief. While her relatives remained hopeful throughout his disappearance, she had started to lose faith.
'I told the Lord, whether he's alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it's just to see him,' she shared with TV Peru. 'But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: Mom, he'll come back, he'll come back.'
Napa is currently undergoing medical checks in Paita before heading south to Lima. His niece, Leyla Torres Napa, mentioned that the family plans to celebrate his birthday, which passed while he was lost at sea. 'The day of his birth was unique because all that he could eat [while at sea] was a small cookie, so it is very important for us that we celebrate because, for us, he has been reborn,' she said.
Photo: AFP/ Peru Navy handout
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